Apparatus for burnishing shoulders of collapsible tubes



Oct. 6, 1942- A. w. PAULL, sR.. ETAL 2,298,067

APPARATUS FOR BURNISHING SHOULDERS OF COLLAPSIBLE TUBES Filed Jan. 16, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS Archlba/d W 'Pau//, 5/:

AL nzo L. [dwarda MIA/W Patented Oct. 6, 1942 UNETE.

STTS EFATEN FECE APPARATUS FOR BUR-NISHING SHOULDERS OF COLLAPSIBLE TUBES Archibald W. Paull, Sr., Alonzo L. Edwards, and Walter T. Davis, Wheeling, W. Va., assignors to Wheeling Stamping Company,

Wheeling,

11 Claims.

The invention is particularly applicable to collapsible tubes formed of aluminum, and will be described particularly in connection with the manufacture of aluminum tubes, although it is applicable to tubes formed of other material.

Collapsible tubes for the dispensing of dentifrices, cosmetics, and toilet accessories are most commonly formed of tin. The conventional tube has a threaded neck with a removable cap, an inclined annular shoulder, and a cylindrical body. The cylindrical body of the tube is usually decorated with a decoration such as a printed label, this decoration completely covering the body of the tube. The shoulder alone is usually the only metal surface which is exposed to view. In an extruded tin tube this surface usually has a naturally high polish and lusterwhich adds to the attractiveness of the container. Instead of being made of tin, tubes are frequently formed of aluminum. When aluminum is extruded it becomes quite hard and in order to soften the tube to give it the desired pli'ability it is necessary to anneal the tube. After annealing the shoulders as well as the body of the tubes are dull and lusterless. The dull surface on the body of the tube is not objectionable because the tube is subsequently decorated, but the dull surface on the shoulder of the tube is quite objectionable from the standpoint of appearance as the finished container is not as attractive as the more expensive tin tube. For these reasons we find it particularly desirable to burnish the shoulders of aluminum tubes in order to give them a high polish and luster and thereby improve their appearance. Likewise the invention is applicable to any other metal tube one formv of machine for simultaneously operating on a number of tubes to successively perform these operations, including the automatic capping of the tubes. In the manufacture of aluminum tubes, the threads must be chased on the neck before the tube is annealed and softened as the threads cannot be so satisfactorily cut in the soft aluminum.

According to the present preferred embodiment of the invention, a machine of the general type disclosed in the said Davis Patent No. 1,678,463 having a turret with a number of spindles thereon is employed. The intermittent rotation of the turret carries a spindle successively through a number of stations. According to the present invention, the shoulder of the tube is ordinarily burnished at the one station before the cap is applied to the threaded neck of the tube. It is of course desirable to burnish the neck of the tube before the cap is applied because the cap,

being of substantial thickness, would prevent the shoulder of the tube from being burnished across its full width. On the other hand, since the neck of the tube has been previously trimmed and threaded it is very important that no dirt or lint from the bufiing wheel enter the open neck of the tube. Our invention provides means for closing the neck end of the tube against any possible entry of foreign particles during this burnishing or bufling operation.

Our invention may be readily understood by reference. to the accompanying drawings in Which- Figure l is a side elevation of a machine constructed in accordance with our invention and to effect the method which is hereinafter more fully described;

Figure 2 is a view which is partly in end elevation of the machine shown in Figure 1 and partly a transverse section;

Figure 3 is a horizontal section on a somewhat larger scale in substantially the plane of line IIIIII of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary detail view showing the means for closing the neck end of the tube.

Referring to the drawings, 2 designates the bed and supporting frame of a machine of the general character shown in the said Davis Patent No. 1,678,463. Supported on the bed of the machine are upri hts 3 having bearings 4 thereon supporting a main shaft 5. At one end of the shaft 5 is a disk or turret 6 having a number of independently rotatable mandrels l thereon arranged at regularly spaced intervals around the turret near its periphery, the mandrels extending in the direction of the axis of the shaft 5, but of course being eccentricall positioned with respect to the axis of the shaft 5. Each mandrel is provided at the rear surface of the plate or turret 6 with a friction pulley 8. A belt 9 directly engages all but one of these pulleys at the sam time. This belt 9 passes around a driving pulley I on a shaft II positioned to one side of the shaft 5. The arrangement is such that when the pulley I0 is driven the mandrels at all of the stations except one are directly driven and rotated by the belt 9. At one station, designated I2, the belt passes between the guide pulleys I3 and I3a and the guide pulley I3 engages the pulley 8 of the mandrel at this particular station so that the mandrel at this station may be rotated in a direction opposite to the rotation of th mandrels at all of the other stations. 7

Mounted on the frame of the machine parallel with the shaft is a power shaft I4 having a drive means such as a pulley I5 at one end thereof. This shaft is geared through gears I6 to operate a second shaft I! which is parallel with the shaft I4. The shaft I! is provided with a cam I8 that operates a lever I9 having a pawl mechanism 20 at its upper end for engaging a ratchet wheel 2| on the shaft 5 for intermittently rotating the shaft 5 through a predetermined arc. Where the turret is provided with six spindles or mandrels the ratchet has six teeth. The shaft I! also carries a second cam 22 which operates a vertically movable rod 23 for actuating a detent 24 and engages a notched wheel 25 on the shaft 5 and which serves to hold the shaft 5 against free rotation so that the spindles or mandrels will be accurately positioned or indexed at their respective stations.

The shaft I! has a pulley 23 thereon that drives a belt 2! which, in turn, drives a pulley 28 for rotating a cap feed hopper 29. Caps from the hopper 29 are fed down the chute 30 into the automatic capping mechanism 3|. This mechanism is substantially the same as that shown in the prior Davis patent referred to and need not be here described in detail. As shown in the said prior patent, the capping mechanism is automatically operated upon the actuation of the machine so that each time that a mandrel is moved to the station opposite the capping mechanism a chuck is thrust forwardly to hold a cap against the end of the tube which is on the rotating mandrel and thus automatically apply the cap to the end of the tube.

Mounted on the top of the frame 2 of the machine is a channel shaped plate or holder 32 in which the base 33 of a motor 34 is slidably received. The plate 32 is set at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the mandrel I so that the shaft 35 of the motor is parallel with the sloped shoulder of the tube, as clearly shown in Figure 3. Motor shaft 35 is provided with a buffing wheel 36, the periphery of which is adapted to engage the shoulder of a tube carried on the mandrel I when a mandrel I is position at the bufiing station. An adjusting screw 3! enables the motor 34 to be adjusted so that the buffing wheel will properly engage the shoulder of the tube. This adjustment keeps the angular relation between the wheel and mandrel constant and accommodates for wear of the buifing wheel or for a chance of mandrels for different sizes of tubes. The motor 34 is continuously driven so that as each mandrel is successively brought to the bufiflng station the bufiing wheel 36 will engage the shoulder of the tube on the mandrel. At the same time the mandrel itself will be rotated so that the entire annular shoulder of the tube will be buffed or burnished to impart bright luster thereto.

The bufling wheel 36 is of a width such that it will simultaneously buff the full width of the shoulder of the tube from the base of the threaded neck to the extreme periphery of the shoulder. This is clearly shown in Figure 3. In order to close the end of the tube while it is being buffed and thus prevent any foreign particles from entering the neck of the tube, means is provided for closing the tube during the buffing operation. This means comprises a fiber disk 38 shown in detail in Figure 4 carried on a small metal plate 39. The disk 38 is of a diameter substantially equal to the diameter of the end of the tube. The metal plate 39 is carried on a pin IEI which is slidably and rotatably passed through one end of a lever M. A compression spring 50 serves to yieldably urge the fiber disk against the end of the tube which it engages. The lever 4| has the shape best shown in Figure 2, the pin 40 being carried on an upright portion Ha of this lever. A pin 42 passes through the lower part of this arm 4Ia of the lever for pivotally supporting the lever on a bracket 43 carried by the main bed or frame of the machine. Below the pin 42 the lever has a laterally extending portion M b from the end of which is a depending vertical portion M0. The lever Me is provided with a cam engaging roller 44 which engages a cam 45 on the shaft II. The cam 45, being on the same shaft as the cam I3 which rotates the shaft 5, and the rod 23 which operates the indexing mechanism 24, causes the lever M to be rocked in a predetermined relation to the movement of the turret. The arrangement is such that each time a mandrel is brought into position at the bufling station the upper end of the lever 4| is rocked to the right as viewed in Figure 1, causing the fiber pad 38 to be yieldably pressed against the end of the collapsible tube carried on the mandrel. The yielding pressure of the pad against the tube effectually closes the neck of the tube. Since the pin 40 is rotatable in the upper portion 4Ia of the lever M, the pad can revolve with the tube during the burnishing operation. The timing of the cam 45 is such that just as the mandrel moves away from the bufling station, the upper end of the lever 4| moves toward the left as viewed in Figure 1, withdrawing the pad 38 from engagement with the tube.

Th capping station, including the cap-applying chuck 3I, is at a station succeeding the burnishing station. In the particular machine illustrated, the cap-applying station is located two stations after the burnishing station. Referring to Figure 2, if the turret rotates in the direction of the arrow, the capping mechanism is preferably positioned at the station immediately above the reversely rotating spindle at the station marked l2. This is clearly shown in Figure 1 but for the purpose of clearly illustrating the buffing unit the capping mechanism has been omitted from Figure 2.

In operating upon aluminum tubes the aluminum tubes, after being extruded, are threaded, and then annealed. After they are annealed they are applied to the mandrels of the turret 6 preferably by automatic means as illustrated in the said patent to Walter T. Davis, No. 1,678,463. They are applied to the mandrels in the turret at a station preceding the burnishing station, preferably being applied at a position two stations in advance of the burnishing operation and immediately succeeding the station I2 Where the mandrel is rotated in a reverse direction. If the tube has not previously been cut to length it may be cut to length at the succeeding station. It is then burnished with the neck of the tube closed during the burnishing operation. It isthen carried around to the capping station. It. isifinally removed at the station where the mandrel is designated 12. and where it is. reversely rotated, the reversing rotation aiding in the removal of the tube. The rotation of the turret or carrier moves the mandrel element relatively to the burnishing element, thus carrying the mandrels into and out of operative relation with the burnishing element. This is desirable to facilitate the application and removal of tubes from the mandrel.

By the use of the method and machine as herein disclosed and described, the shoulders of the tubes are automatically burnished on the machine which is used for applying caps to the tubes and without requiring any added labor. By reason of the fact that the tubes are burnished before the caps are applied, the shoulders can be polished across their full width. At the same time, by temporarily closing the ends of the tubes, foreign particles cannot get into the ends of the tubes during this burnishing and polishing operation.

While'we have illustrated and described one particular embodiment of our invention, it will be understood that the machine may be otherwise constructed, and that various modifications and changes may be made therein. It will also be understood that the invention is not limited to the burnishing or polishing of the shoulders of aluminum tubes, but that the invention is applicable to the processing of any tubes where such additional polishing operation is desired.

We claim:

1. Apparatus for burnishing the shoulders of collapsible tubes wherein the tube has a neck portion, a shoulder portion and a body portion comprising a rotatable mandrel and a cooperating rotatable bufling wheel positioned to engage the full width of the shoulder of a tube when the tube is positioned on said mandrel.

2. Apparatus for burnishing the shoulders of collapsible tubes wherein the tube has a neck portion, a shoulder portion and a body portion comprising a rotatable mandrel and a cooperating rotatable buffing wheel positioned to engage the full width of the shoulder of a tube when the tube is positioned on said mandrel, and means on the apparatus for closing the neck end of the tube while the tube is being engaged by the buifing wheel.

3. Apparatus for burnishing the shoulders of collapsible tubes wherein the tubes have a neck portion, a shoulder portion and a body portion comprising a mandrel element adapted to support a tube to be finished, a burnishing element for engaging the shoulder of a tube positioned on the mandrel, and means for moving one of said elements into and out of operative relation with the other whereby the tubes may be applied to and removed from the mandrel while the two elements are out of operative relation.

4. Apparatus for burnishing the shoulders of elements are out of operative relation, and means for closing the neck end of the tube during the time that the burnishing elementv is in operative relation with respect to the mandrel.

5. Apparatus for burnishing the shoulders of collapsible tubes wherein the tubes have a neck portion, a shoulder portion and a body portion comprising a mandrel element adapted to support a tube to be finished, a burnishing element for engaging the shoulder of a tube positioned on the mandrel, means for moving one of said elements into and out of operative relation with the other whereby the tubes may be applied to and removed from the mandrel while the two elements are out of operative relation, and means for rotating the mandrel to turn the tube therein while the tube is engaged by the burnishing element.

6. Apparatus for burnishing the shoulders of collapsible tubes wherein the tubes have a neck portion, a shoulder portion and a body portion comprising a turret having a plurality of rotatable mandrels projecting axially therefrom, means for intermittently rotating the turret to progressively present the mandrels to a number of stations, and a burnishing wheel at one station having its periphery positioned to engage and polish the periphery of a tube on the mandrel which is presented to such station.

7. Apparatus for burnishing the shoulders of collapsible tubes wherein the tubes have a neck portion, a shoulder portion and a body portion comprising a turret having a plurality of rotatable mandrels projecting axially therefrom, means for intermittently rotating the turret to progressively present the mandrels to a number of stations, a burnishing wheel at one station having its periphery positioned to engage and polish the periphery of a tube on the mandrel which is presented to such station, and means at said station for temporarily closing the neck of a tube on the mandrel at said station while the shoulder of the tube is being burnished.

8. Apparatus for burnishing the shoulders of collapsible tubes wherein the tubes have a neck portion, a shoulder portion and a body portion comprising a movable supporting element having a plurality of parallel individually rotatable mandrels thereon, means for intermittently presenting the mandrels to a burnishing station, a burnishing element at said station arranged to engage the shoulders of the tubes on the mandrels, and means for rotating the mandrels while they are at said station.

9. Apparatus for burnishing the shoulders of collapsible tubes wherein the tubes have a neck portion, a shoulder portion and a body portion comprising a movable supporting element having a plurality of parallel individually rotatable mandrels thereon, means for intermittently presenting the mandrels to a burnishing station, a burnishing element at said station arranged to engage the shoulders of the tubes on the mandrels, means for rotating the mandrels while they are at said station, and means at said burnishing station for closing the necks of the tubes on the mandrels as the mandrels are brought into position for the burnishing of the tubes thereon.

10. Apparatus for burnishing the shoulders of collapsible tubes wherein the tubes have a neck portion, a conical shoulder portion and a body portion comprising a support having a plurality of individually rotatable mandrels thereon at regularly positioned intervals, means for intermittently moving the support to progressively advance the mandrels from one station to another, a rotatable shaft having a burnishing wheel thereon at one of said stations, the axis of the shaft being at an angle to the axis of the mandrel at said station whereby the periphery of the burnishing wheel makes full line contact with the conical shoulder of the tube on the mandrel, and means for rotating the mandrel which is engaged by said burnishing wheel.

11. Apparatus for burnishing the shoulders of collapsible tubes wherein the tubes have a neck portion, a conical shoulder portion and a body portion comprising a support having a plurality of individually rotatable mandrels thereon at regularly positioned intervals, means for intermittently moving the support to progressively advance the mandrels from one station to another, a rotatable shaft having a burnishing wheel thereon at one of said stations, the axis of the shaft being at an angle to the axis of the mandrel at said station whereby the periphery of the burnishing wheel makes full line contact with the conical shoulder of the tube on the mandrel, means for rotating the mandrel which is engaged by said burnishing wheel, and means for adjusting the bumishing wheel with relation to the mandrel while maintaining the same angular relation between the bumishing wheel and the mandrel.

ARCHIBALD W. PAULL, SR.

ALONZO L. EDWARDS.

WALTER T. DAVIS. 

